Today with Sean O'Rourke

Consumer affairs

It has been called Little NAMA, a two billion euro fund to buy distressed mortgages from Irish Banks. The proposal is fronted by Not for Profit organisation New Beginning - set up after the property crash to help struggling mortgage holders. It will allow the mortgage holders to walk away from their loans or an option to rent their houses for seven years with an option to buy them out.

Paddy Cosgrave spoke to Sean this morning on the wifi issues at the Web Summit at the RDS and how having spoken to RDS chief executive Michael Duffy he was left feeling reassured that they will work together to improve it for next years summit.

Whatever the effect of the last week’s budget on your finances was, there are still ways to save on your taxes. Sinead Ryan, consumer journalist with the Herald and the Independent joined Sean in studio to take us though all the available tax reliefs and credits.

Many people don’t realize they can get back some money they pay in taxes, Sinead Ryan explains.

As the controversies engulfing Irish Water continue Environment Minister Alan Kelly is to meet its CEO John Tierney in the next hour. The Minister said last night that John Tierney in his view needs to be “out there more facing the public” and that he would be making that clear to him this morning. Presumably though there will be much more than the lack of media apperances by the CEO on the agenda for todays meeting .

Paul Melia – Environment correspondent of the Irish Independent joined Sean on the line.

Paddy O'Gorman spoke to people who use Cash Exchange shops to sell their goods so as to get a bit of cash when needed. The option is there for them to buy back at a later date. Others he spoke to were planning for Christmas and buying TVs, others were selling jewellery to have other pieces resized.

The proposed new mortgage rules that would require aspiring house buyers to raise 20 per cent of the price of a property have been welcomed in some quarters but greeted with horror by others – particularly those in the first time buyer bracket.

Karen Mulvaney, Managing Director of The Buyer’s Agent, who helps house hunters to find their perfect home and Tony Foley, Senior Lecturer in Economics at DCU’s Business School join Sean in studio.

But first of all, he speaks to a house hunter, Aoife Clarke, who has reacted to the word of this 20% required deposit.